A Babeu campaign representative could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.

Republican challengers Derek Arnson, Tom Bearup and Jack McClaren entered the race while Babeu was in the midst of a campaign for Congress -- a bid that started strong but fizzled in the wake of scandal.

Political analysts correctly predicted that the crowded primary field would bode well for Babeu despite the difficulties he has faced since a former boyfriend accused him of abuse of power in February. Babeu has denied the allegation and requested a state attorney general's investigation to prove it.

That inquiry is ongoing, as is a prohibited-politicking investigation into Babeu and his office. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which enforces the Hatch Act, opened its investigation in December. The Hatch Act, a 1939 federal anti-corruption law, primarily aims to keep politics out of the federal government workplace, but it also can apply to state and local workers if their jobs are linked to federal funding.

Arnson and McClaren were not available for comment Tuesday evening. When reached by phone at a campaign event in Casa Grande, Bearup said he and his wife enjoyed getting to know Pinal County voters in recent months.

"All I can say is I've enjoyed being involved in this," said Bearup, a minister and former chief executive officer to Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. "We ran a very positive campaign; we worked awfully hard. Five months ago, nobody in Pinal County knew me, and here we are today."

Taylor, 54, said he's ready to square off with the sheriff and promised to run a campaign free from "mud-slinging."

Early poll results had Taylor, owner of a private-security firm, in the lead over Glenn Millsaps of Coolidge for the Democratic nomination.

"We're not going to talk about what Paul did in the past," said Taylor, a Maricopa resident. "We're going to talk about what's going on in the future."

Morgan, the independent, said he'd planned to take on Babeu from the beginning. Morgan entered the race before the sheriff announced his candidacy for Congress in January.

"I'm going to need all the help I can get," Morgan said. "I think we can win. We just need to get out there and show I'm the better candidate."

Election info

Voters may report complaints or violations of elections procedures by calling 602-506-1511. To file complaints of discriminatory voting practices, voters may call the Voting Section of the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931 or e-mail Voting.Section@usdoj.gov.